Bryant rushed for 464 yards and five touchdowns last season, outstanding numbers for a backup quarterback who appeared in 10 of 13 games. Bryant started just one game and usually played less than a half in relief of starter Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada.

"When we went back and looked at cut-ups, it just re-affirmed our opinion that the kid is special with the ball in his hands," Niumatalolo said. "He's very shifty in the hole and makes people miss."

Unfortunately for Bryant, classmate Kaheaku-Enhada has been the better overall quarterback and figures to remain the starter in 2008. That fact has prompted the coaching staff to consider ways to better utilize Bryant, whose talents would be wasted by simply holding a clipboard and helping relay signals from the sideline.

"We feel Jarod is too valuable to sit on the bench. There are things he can bring to our team so we want to find ways to get him on the field," Niumatalolo said.

As a result, Bryant will do some serious cross-training this spring - practicing as a slot back and punt returner while continuing to take snaps at quarterback. If that's what it takes to get on the field more often as a senior, the Alabama native is open to the idea.

"I'm willing to do whatever they want me to do. I just want to help the team any way I can," he said.

Jasper knows it's possible to make the switch from quarterback to slot back because he did it while playing in a triple-option system at Hawaii. A sprained ankle and erratic play caused Jasper to lose the starting quarterback job to Michael Carter, so he heeded the advice of Rainbows offensive coordinator Paul Johnson and moved to slot.

"As a quarterback in this system, you need to know what the slot backs are doing on every play so from a mental standpoint it's not that hard of an adjustment," Jasper said. "Jarod is a good athlete and was a tailback in high school, so I think he could do well."

Bryant replaced Kaheaku-Enhada late in the third quarter against Ball State and rushed for 77 yards. He came off the bench in the fourth quarter the following Saturday versus Duke and scampered for 69 yards to help engineer a comeback victory.

There were 56- and 57-yard rushing efforts in relief appearances against Wake Forest and North Texas, respectively. The 5-foot-10, 185-pounder rambled for a career-high 139 yards in his lone start versus Northern Illinois. In reviewing highlights of those games, Jasper concluded that Bryant was the team's most elusive runner behind slot back Reggie Campbell.

"Jarod had a couple runs last season that were spectacular and showed just how dangerous he can be," said Jasper, speaking specifically of a 43-yard dash versus Wake and a 35-yard scamper against Duke. Both long runs came on quarterback draws and displayed Bryant's ability to make multiple defenders miss.

"Jarod has great balance, great hips and great feet. He has a real good initial burst and real good acceleration. He gets to full speed quickly," Jasper added.

Navy employed a special package for Bryant that featured a heavy dose of designed keepers, quarterback draws and mid-line option plays. As a result, the former Hoover High standout did most of his damage between the tackles.

Bryant is fully aware that Navy's slot backs are used almost exclusively on pitch plays that put the ball outside the tackle box and are predicated on players having the speed to turn the corner.

Meanwhile, Bryant returned punts at Hoover High and enjoyed doing so. He looks forward to the challenge of possibly replacing Campbell in that crucial role.

"It's something I like to do. I think it would be fun and exciting. I feel like I'm a lot better in open space with the ball," he said.

None of the coaches want to come right out and say it, but the idea of using Bryant as a slot back and punt returner is largely dependent upon the development of talented sophomore quarterback Ricky Dobbs. If Bryant is the only qualified backup quarterback, he probably will not risk injury by taking pitchouts or catching punts.

"I'm still going to get a ton of reps at quarterback either way. If I'm one play away from being the quarterback, I'm sure the coach are going to make sure I'm prepared and ready to go," Bryant said.